March ’25 Theater Guide: Timely and Ageless Pittsburgh Theater Makes March Meaningful

Maybe your grandmother once said to you, “Age is just a concept.” And, maybe she made you think: Is someone 78 years old any less capable than someone who’s 28? What is the best age to live? Does time woefully whittle away the wonderment of childhood only to relegate greater value to the world we share as adults? Likewise, can a novel idea be sparked by a singular synapse or does it require a time-tested neural network to utter “Eureka!” Of course, that’s what Archimedes was said to exclaim in 246 BC when he stepped into his bathtub. Yet, no less a lover of long, steamy soaks, Oprah has often shared her “aha” moments. Are they any less important? Or more? And just what is the value of age?

Whether young or old, our timely picks for March prove that the experience of live theater in Pittsburgh can be ageless. Ballet Folklórico de México has wrapped a nearly organic tradition of dance with modern elan. Likewise, Pittsburgh Opera will introduce Puccini’s classic Madama Butterfly with a “techno” twist. Of course, time and timing are as integral to Texture’s Sound in Motion as they are to Corningwork’s upcoming tale of mortality. And yet, not one, but two dramatic productions address the very issue of age and its immediacy; one celebrates the magnificence of growing old too soon (Birthday Candles) while another one struggles with the mayhem of aging too fast (Kimberly Akimbo.) Further to this month’s collective theme, the seemingly ageless musical Annie speaks to us of hope in a time when all seemed (or seems?) hopeless, while Albee’s immortal Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? illuminates the daily and damning darkness of despair. And let’s not forget about the fun of the annual Pittsburgh Fringe Festival. These are your choices among many this month. But don’t waste a second before getting tickets. As Grandma might add, “Time is precious.” 

Shows are previewed below in two sections, Spotlight Picks for the month and Other Shows of Interest, followed by a look-ahead to Big Shows on the Horizon. Spotlight Picks are listed by run dates. The Theater Guide is created by the theater writers and editors of Entertainment Central including Mike Vargo (M.V.) and C. Prentiss Orr (C.P.O.).

Spotlight Picks

KIMBERLY AKIMBO (musical). Book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire with music by Jeanine Tesori. PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh. March 4-9

With a young teen whose rare disease makes her appear to be in her early seventies, the story of Kimberly Akimbo is befittingly about survival. Yet be not depressed. This five-time Tony Award winning musical is really about trying to fit in, embracing bad behavior, solving anagrams and washing checks. What’s that, you say? This is life in Bergen County, New Jersey, where Dad is a drunk, Mom is a hypochondriac (and pregnant,) an aunt is a con artist, and your new high school friends are all musical nerds. What’s not to like? Written by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for Rabbit Hole) with music by Jeanine Tesori (2015 Tony Award winner for Fun Home,) Kimberly Akimbo was a surprise hit when it transferred from Off- to Broadway in 2022. The musical features hit tunes like “Better” and “This Time,” choreography by Danny Mefford (Dear Evan Hansen), and direction by Jessica Stone (Water for Elephants). Now on its first North American tour, it’s time to get out the tuba and put on your ice skates. Wait, what? Kimberly Akimbo arrives at the Benedum Center for eight shows only. 237 7th St., Cultural District. (C.P.O.) 

Ballet Folklórico de México (dance company). Presented by Dentons Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Series. March 5 only, 7:30 p.m.

Great dance companies from around the world visit Pittsburgh, but usually they are performing modern and contemporary dance. Now comes something rather different—a renowned Mexican company that revives old-to-very-old folk dances, interpreting them through a modern lens. Ballet Folklórico de México was founded in Mexico City in 1952 by the dance artist Amalia Hernández. Her idea was to celebrate the dance traditions of the country’s many different cultures, dating back to pre-Columbian times. The company first grew popular thanks to a new medium of the 1950s—television—with a series of weekly shows on national TV. By the end of the decade, Ballet Folklórico de México was starting to win a following internationally. The repertoire ranges from billowy, exuberant ensemble dances to ritualistic costume dances, to the earthy mysticism of the “Deer Dance” (all sampled in the video above). See Ballet Folklórico de México at 7:30 p.m. in the Byham Theater, 101 6th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

March 8
BIRTHDAY CANDLES  by Noah Haidle. City Theatre. March 8-30

As we age, there are few constants in life. We grow taller, pet goldfish die, and, if birthdays are worth celebrating, there’s another candle to put on the cake. Ernestine Ashworth is no one special, a self-revelation she accepts—yet vows to change—at the age of 17. In a flash, she turns 18 and bakes the same birthday cake her now late mother first made. And every year, for 84 more to come, Ernestine bakes the same cake. It’s a constant—and the premise—of Noah Haidle’s play which premiered on Broadway via Roundabout Theatre Company starring Debra Messing in 2022. For ninety minutes, Ernestine never leaves the stage but grows to the age of 101, baking her cake for friends and neighbors who admire the birthday girl (with no subtle irony) for being herself. Birthday Candles is a sentimental journey that’s sweet and funny, yet its true gift is a story that’s “epic and beautifully written,” exclaimed the New York Daily News. City Theatre’s founder Marc Masterson will return to direct. Come celebrate at City Theatre. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (C.P.O.)

ANNIE (musical) by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charnin. Touring company presented by PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh. March 14-15. 

Not many Broadway musicals are adapted from comic strips, but among them is one of the greatest of any kind. Annie won seven Tony Awards in 1977, including the major ones for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. Since then, the show has been revived and toured in productions worldwide—with the latest North American tour visiting Pittsburgh for a three-performance run. Lyricist Martin Charnin was inspired to create the musical after reading a collection of “Little Orphan Annie” comics. The long-running daily strip, launched by cartoonist Harold Gray in 1924, featured a spunky 11-year-old girl who escapes a hard life in an orphanage when she’s taken in as a ward by one of the country’s richest men, Oliver (Daddy) Warbucks. The cartoon artist kept the series popular for decades by having Annie and Daddy drawn into various exotic adventures, often involving sinister bad guys such as gangsters or subversive agents or evil conspiracy leaders. Time and again, Annie’s grit combined with Daddy’s clout would save the day.

For the musical, lyricist Charnin teamed with playwright Thomas Meehan and composer Charles Strouse to create a new story. It’s a highly embellished origin story, in which Daddy and Annie are just starting to form a deep parent-child bond when they are tested by events that threaten to split them apart. The show turned out to be both heartwarming and rollicking, as well as appealing to anyone who’s ever been a parent or a child—which covers a lot!  The new touring Annie plays at Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (M.V.) 

SOUND IN MOTION  presented by Texture Contemporary Ballet. At the New Hazlett Theater. March 14-16

The swan song production of Texture Contemporary Ballet’s 2024-25 season, Sound in Motion, is a full evening with three acts that promises to deliver a diversity of dance long to be remembered in this company’s 14th year on the Pittsburgh stage. Artistic and Executive Director Alan Obuzor’s program includes the premiere of “The World We Inherited,” a new work by resident dancer Madeline Kendall Schreiber with evocative lighting by Bob Steineck. A technically-challenging performance set to J.S. Bach’s Concerto No. 1 in D Minor will follow. And as the evening intensifies, a live R&B collaboration with Pittsburgh-based musician D.o.B., entitled “Big Mad!” will close the house. There’s lots to anticipate but now’s the time to motivate. Get to your feet and make some noise. The New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. (C.P.O.)

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? by Edward Albee. Pittsburgh Public Theater. March 19-April 6

It’s perhaps the most intoxicating play ever. George and Martha are at it (again and again) as their younger guests, Nick and Honey, are forced to play parlor games no cocktail party has ever endured since Edward Albee wrote his 1962 play about faculty marriage on an elite college campus. Brutal accusations, horrific fantasy, dark despair, and wisps of love swirl like cigarette smoke across icy incantations of betrayal and self-abuse. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an American classic never to be missed. Few theater companies, even during Albee’s heyday, would commit their reputation to work so difficult to perform, yet so incredibly rewarding when done well. Pittsburgh Public Theater, in its 50th season, is to prove its mettle as it so often has since 1975. Only the most courageous actors and adoring audiences have come to learn the secret of Albee’s all-consuming masterpiece. Long acclaimed for her decades of work with the country’s best regional theaters, Pamela Berlin will direct. 621 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (C.P.O.)

PITTSBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL (multiple performers and groups at several locations). March 20-29.

Every city with a good theater scene should have a fringe festival. These events highlight what’s new and/or unusual in the performing arts, often providing an early look at emerging stars and hit shows. And this year, after a period of post-pandemic experimenting, the Pittsburgh Fringe Festival is back in full force. The 10-day schedule features dozens of performances at various venues in Bloomfield/Garfield, the North Side, and Downtown. The artists come from Pittsburgh and points beyond; some have performed at Scotland’s famed Edinburgh Fringe. Their shows span a range of genres from comedy to drama, dance, music, and can’t-be-pigeonholed. Comedy acts include Sara Kantner’s The Final Badge—about a scout leader taking her troop in quest of the merit badge to rule them all—and Dave Piontkowski’s 3 Kidneys No Colon, based on Dave’s actual medical misadventures. For serious drama, the new Crumb to a Bird Ensemble presents KILN, a play with “themes of sibling relationships, grief, and the numbness of nepotism.” Meanwhile actor Daniel Gerroll performs DR GLAS, a one-man piece adapted from a controversial Swedish novel.

Then we have the non-pigeonhole category. Early in the festival’s run, L.A.-based Chanel & the Circus invites romance-challenged audiences to an interactive clown musical titled All the Boys I Blocked. And closing night brings the Pittsburgh premiere of the acclaimed Josephine, a burlesque cabaret dream play. This show is drawn from the life of Josephine Baker, the path-breaking singer and actress who also worked with the French Resistance during World War II. There’s much more as well. For information on all shows, along with ticketing options, visit the Fringe Festival on the web—which lets you map out what you’d like to see from March 20 through 29. (M.V.)

MADAMA BUTTERFLY (opera) by Giacomo Puccini, with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Pittsburgh Opera. March 22-30.

Pittsburgh Opera has given us some memorable modern restagings of classic operas, such as Mozart’s Don Giovanni done in film-noir style. This month, the company performs a restaging of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly that is radical enough to invite new interpretations of the original. The arc of this tragic love story remains the same as written by librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa in the early 1900s. A young Japanese woman marries a visiting U.S. Navy officer who jilts her after their wedding night, sailing off and eventually returning with an American girl as his new bride. The version you’ll see in Pittsburgh shifts the frame of the story. Here, the faithless man is a civilian in modern-day America, married to a hometown girl he’ll soon grow bored with. Seeking escape, he plays a VR game in which he takes on the avatar of a navy lieutenant pursuing romance with the lovely Cio-Cio-San (“Ms. Butterfly”)—and the rest unfolds from there. Conceived by a Japanese and Japanese-heritage creative team, this new Madama Butterfly is co-produced by Pittsburgh Opera and three other U.S. companies. Soprano Karah Son and tenor Eric Taylor sing the lead roles. Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

STAND BY — AN ALLEGORY (dance/theater) by Beth Corning, Tom Lee, and others. Corningworks. March 28 – April 6. 

If you really know Pittsburgh’s performing arts scene, you know that the dance company Corningworks does more than dance. Founder Beth Corning creates original feature-length pieces that blend contemporary dance with live theater, often incorporating unusual sets and props as well as multimedia. For the company’s new piece, titled Stand By—An Allegory, Corning has teamed with internationally known puppet artist Tom Lee. Drawing on Japanese puppetry traditions, he’s created a near-full-size humanoid who (which?) interacts with real human performers. Promo materials call the piece “a whimsical glimpse at humans’ inability to recognize our mortality … not so much about death or grief or even loss, as about the mysterious & magical continuity of life.” Experience Stand By—An Allegory within a storied venue: Carnegie Stage, formerly home to Off the WALL productions, and now presenting a variety of cutting-edge companies and artists. To keep things up close and puppet-personal, audience size is being limited to 45 guests per show. 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. (M.V.)

University Theater
In addition to Pittsburgh’s professional and community theater companies we have many outstanding university theater programs as well. Check their box office pages for what’s onstage:

Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama
Duquesne University Red Masquers
Point Park University’s Playhouse
Robert Morris University
University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts

Other Shows of Interest
(Listed by opening date)

Friday, March 14
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Lincoln Park Performing Arts)

Thursday, March 27
Prismatic Impressions! (Ballet Legato at New Hazlett Theater)

Friday March 28
Sum of Y’all (Pearl Arts)

Big Shows on the Horizon
(Listed by opening date)

April 1
Peter Pan (PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh)

April 3
Jesus Christ Superstar (PMT)

April 4
Spring Mix (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre)

April 11
Art of Wise (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre)

April 15
Some Like it Hot (PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh)

April 19
Twyla Tharp Dance (Pittsburgh Dance council)
King James (City Theatre)

April 26
Shen Yun (Benedum Center)
Woman With Eyes Closed (Pittsburgh Opera)

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers theater and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred.

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